Royal Pain
by pinkpanda376
Summary: Rose discovers that she is a royal, and after being removed from the guardian chain, her life is no longer in her control. What will she do about it? And how will she manage to escape the oppression of being royal?
1. Prologue

**Hey, guys! I've decided to start another VA fanfic, inspired by the fact that I just bought myself the entire series and am now re-hooked :P I have a few things I've changed about the story. Jill and Lissa are still sisters, but Lissa's not queen. Ariana won the election in my version, and she is now the queen.**

**Secondly, I'm going to have all the royals have the title of "prince" or "princess".**

**Thirdly, Mason never died.**

**Okay, that's all the changes I've made to the storyline. As always, read, review, and enjoy!**

Hi. My name is Rose, and this is my story.

I'm sure many, if not most, of you have already heard of me. Most of those who know me will know me as Rose Hathaway. Some of the heritage junkies here will probably know me as Rosemarie Mazur. (If any of you ever address me as Rosemarie, I'll punch you without hesitation or regret. Just saying.) But, as it turns out, neither of those names is correct.

My real name is Rose Szelsky.

Yes, you read that correctly. You're probably going, "How are you a Szelsky? Aren't they royal?" And you'd be correct. The Szelsky name is a line of royals. Now time for the plot twist… I'm a royal too. A dhampir, yes. But still a royal. Scandal, scandal, now let's skip to the rest of it.

Apparently Ibrahim Mazur isn't the only Moroi that my mom got it on with. No, she had to be a whore and go jump in bed with the Szelsky lord that she guards, and I was the outcome of it. Way to go, Mom. We found that out because when Tasha shot me, they found a unique gene in my blood that was rare even for Moroi, and unheard of for a dhampir. And Abe didn't have it, nor did my mom, so she had to fess up on who all she'd been with, and surprise! I'm a Szelsky.

So now, because of my newly discovered status, I am now considered a royal, and boy, did I get hell for it! There was a big controversy at Court over whether or not I would be allowed to claim the title of a royal, or whether I would simply remain a guardian. Thanks to my shady guardian past, what with the going rogue with Lissa for a few years and then going rogue to go find Dimitri, and then going rogue again _with _Dimitri… Well, let's just say that my sketchy commitment to the job inclined Queen Szelsky (Yes, my new "aunt" had won the crown in the election) to place me in a less risky position. I liked her all right—she's been pretty cool to me, and she's not snotty like a lot of the other royals are (cough_Conta_cough). But now I'm pretty pissed at her, because she was the primary reason that I'd been forbidden from guardianship. Instead, I get to _have_ guardians, which infuriates me even more. I was born to _be_ a guardian, not be guarded by them! I protested this, of course, but the steadfast response I'd been given was "You're a royal, Rosemarie. Moroi or not, you will have guardians, whether or not you want them."

So yeah. I'm pretty pissed at life now. I wouldn't blame you if you don't want to continue on to read how my life got turned upside down. But if you do, I'll tell you this—it's been a hell of a ride. So buckle up and hold on tight… Because this is the story of the roller coaster my life has turned into.


	2. Chapter 1

"Rose?" called a voice from outside the bedroom in my new suite. Yes, suite. I had my own freaking suite in the Moroi Royal Court. Not what I wanted.

"Go away!" I shouted angrily.

The door opened slowly. "It's just me," said Lissa softly, poking her head inside.

"Great. Come to doll me up for the stupid gala?" I asked bitterly.

"Oh, Rose," she murmured sympathetically, closing the door behind herself. "I know you didn't want this."

"Of course not! I wanted to be your guardian! I've trained for it my entire life! I spent the past eighteen years dedicated to protecting you! But nooooo, I'm a fucking royal, and I have to sit back and let people wait on me hand and foot, and let other people jump in front of me to take a bullet or take on a Strigoi, and I have to be calm and level-headed and just… I have to be not me! And I hate it!" I wailed. "I don't want to be a stupid princess! I want to be a guardian! _Your _guardian! And I can't!"

She sat down next to me on the bed and took my hand. "It won't be as bad as all that," she said. "Think of it this way. We can hang out and go shopping without you having to be constantly aware of your surroundings. You can just relax and enjoy life! We can go to college together, and then do whatever we want!"

I let out a bitter chuckle. "I never wanted to go to college, Liss. I don't want to relax and enjoy life. I've fought Strigoi before, and the feeling in knowing that I've rid the world of one more evil being… I don't want to sit back knowing that I'm able to help and let others do it for me! I can't live that kind of life!"

She bit her lip, looking troubled. And now, since the shooting had removed our bond, I had no way to tell what was running through her mind.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing's wrong, it's just… I know how awful this must be for you, but it's really not that bad of a life. You'll get used to it. And I'm sure that you can talk Mason or Eddie into sparring with you in the gym."

"Lissa!" I shouted. "I don't want to spar for fun in the gym! I want to help protect Moroi! And playing with Eddie or Mason won't let me do that!"

"I know that, Rose! I'm just trying to cheer you up!" she shouted back, surprising me. Lissa never shouted. "I know this isn't what you wanted! I know you spent your life studying and trying to be a top-notch guardian! But that's gone, and I'm trying to help make the best out of what you have!"

Her jade-green eyes had tears in them, and I instantly felt bad for shouting at her. This wasn't her fault. I closed my eyes and put my head in my hands, trying to calm down before I said or did something I'd regret. "I'm sorry," I muttered. "I'm just mad."

"I think I know something that'll help," she said quietly.

"What's that?" I asked, privately thinking that nothing would help but going and beating up the realm of the undead.

"You want to meet your guardians?" she asked. "There's three of them."

Not really. "Sure."

"They waited outside just in case you agreed to meeting them. I'll get them."

She hurried back out into the corridor, and I rolled over, facing my wall.

I heard a few sets of footsteps. I refused to move, hoping they'd get the message that I was not cool with this.

"Rose, turn around," Lissa said in a gentle tone, and I decided to humor her.

My jaw dropped as I took in the two men standing beside Lissa. "Mason! Eddie!" I gasped.

They both grinned. "You know, Hathaway, you'll catch flies if you let your mouth hang open like that," teased Mason.

I laughed. "You know, Ashford, that's not really my name."

He laughed. "Rose Szelsky. Doesn't quite pack the punch of Rose Hathaway, but at least it's better than Rose Tarus."

"So, Rose, decided to retire from the life of kicking Strigoi ass?" Eddie joked. He knew perfectly well that wasn't the case, simply trying to cheer me up.

"Ha ha." I turned to Lissa. "Didn't you say there were three?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's on his way," she said. "He had to go handle something. He'll be right back."

I nodded. "So which of you ladies is going to be willing to be my practice dummy for my days of kickass since I can't go play in the real world?"

They looked at each other, neither one stepping up to the plate.

I laughed again. "I'm just kidding," I assured them, and they visibly relaxed.

"We had to fight big for this spot. Lissa used some of her influence," Eddie said. She flushed a bit, looking a little guilty. Her and her damn compulsion, I thought as another knock at the door reached my ears. Must be my other guardian

"I thought it would be easier if you had some familiar faces around you," she explained as Mason went to get the door.

I went to hug her as the third guardian was granted entrance. I opened my mouth to thank Lissa for her help, but another voice cut me off.

"Roza."


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey, guys! Hope you're enjoying the story! I'll try and update more in the coming week, but no promises. I'm having surgery on Friday, so my recovery time on my sickbed should give me time to write. Wish me luck. :(**

I whirled around and my eyes fell on the most heartbreakingly perfect man I'd ever known. His gorgeous brown eyes burned with emotion, and I ran straight into his arms. "Dimitri!"

I clung to him as his strong arms wrapped around me, pressing my face into his chest and trying not to cry

"Roza," he breathed, burying his face in my hair and stroking it. "I thought I'd never see you again."

They'd kept us apart after my heritage had been revealed, since I was a "princess" and he was still considered a rogue guardian who had no business coming near me. I'd tried to get to him, but the guardians had caught me and locked me in my suite, similar to how I'd been held in Russia. (To be fair, Russia was better, because I at least got to see Dimitri.)

I breathed in the scent of him, feeling immense comfort. "You're my guardian?"

He chuckled, his warm breath tickling my ear. "Yes, I am. Your friend Lissa has some impressive influence."

His vague words didn't fool me. "You used compulsion on Hans, didn't you? They'd never let him be assigned to me."

She had the grace to look slightly ashamed. I rolled my eyes, but didn't push it.

"And now, Princess Szelsky, for my first official act as your guardian, I must remind you that you have a gala to attend."

I glared at him. "If you ever call me Princess Szelsky again, I will punch you. Not in the face, cause you have a nice face, but I'll make sure it hurts."

He laughed. "There's my Roza."

I couldn't keep a smile from slowly spreading across my face. I hugged Dimitri, and he held me tightly.

There was a knock at the door. Lissa went to open it, and there stood Hans. I braced myself for the explosion.

"Princess Dragomir," he said, bowing respectfully. "Princess Szelsky."

Oh, God, I was gonna go all kinds of crazy.

To my relief, Lissa took the lead. "Can we help you, Guardian Croft?"

"Well, yes, actually. Since Princess Szelsky is no longer eligible to serve as your guardian, we've had to make alternate arrangements. Since Guardian Belikov is one of the most powerful guardians in history and will be more than enough to protect her, we—the guardian office—believe that Guardian Ashford and Guardian Castile's abilities would be better served in other assignments. We plan on assigning them to you, Princess Dragomir."

"Oh," she said, taken aback. "Okay. That's fine."

"Good. Now with all do respect, princesses, shouldn't you both be preparing for the gala tonight? It was my understanding that you were both to attend."

"Yes, I suppose," Lissa said.

"Guardian Belikov, be prepared to be Princess Szelsky's escort this evening," Hans said.

"Escort?" I demanded.

He ignored me and departed, and Lissa closed the door.

"Well, that went well," Eddie said.

"Someone tell me what the hell he means when he says 'escort'," I said.

"Well, your escort is basically someone who accompanies you for protection purposes," Lissa explained patiently.

"Oh. So which one of these guys is yours?"

"Neither. Christian's my escort. Since you have no Moroi boyfriend, you'll be escorted by your guardian. That's how it works."

"Ah," I said, still baffled.

Dimitri chuckled. "Oh, by the way, I'm supposed to ask you if you would prefer that I share your suite or that I receive generic guardian housing."

"Um, share my suite?" I replied in a very "duh" tone of voice.

He chuckled again. "All right then. Now, Princess Dragomir, I believe that you should be off preparing yourself."

She laughed. "All right. Rose, you gonna be okay?"

"Probably not."

"Oh, you'll be fine," she said. "I'll be there too. Don't worry."

She left with Mason and Eddie, leaving Dimitri and me alone.

"Ready for your first ball, Highness?" Dimitri teased.

I glared at him.

"Hey, you never said I couldn't call you 'Highness'," he pointed out teasingly.e closer.

I narrowed my eyes. "No 'royal' names. Got that?"

He laughed. "I wasn't going to call you any names except for public appearances where I'm required to address you like that. In private…" He pulled me against him, his brown eyes sparkling with amusement. "…You're my Roza."

I laughed. "Do I get kisses with that title?"

"As many as you want," he replied, kissing me gently. I kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck. His strong arms went around my waist, pulling me closer. He pulled me to the bed, where he laid down and I curled up beside his tall form.

"Hey," he said after a few minutes.

"Hmm?" I asked.

"You probably should start getting ready for the gala," he said, smiling. "I can't wait to see what you look like, looking all dressed up."

I rolled my eyes. "You're not gonna let me skip the gala, are you?"

"Of course not. Come on, love, go get dressed," he said, laughing.

I stood up and sighed, then went to prepare for my demise.


End file.
